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J/Boats – Sailing to Success

The story of J/Boats is a classic entrepreneurial tale: With a
$20,000 investment, and a speedy 24-foot sailboat that Rod Johnstone
built in his garage, Rod and his brother Bob Johnstone went into
business. That was 1977. Now, that boat (the J/24), has become the most
popular recreational offshore keelboat in the world.

The Johnstone family has made an undeniable mark on the sailing
world. In addition to the 5,400 J/24s cruising the waves, there are over
7,000 more J/Boats, ranging from the International J/22 to the
J/65, that sailing enthusiasts have bought at prices ranging
from $10,000 to $2,000,000.

While other manufacturers may sell more boats, the Johnstones have
won the high-end, performance-oriented segment of the market. Theirs is
the so-called racer/cruiser category: boats that perform well on the race
course but which are comfortable and easy enough for the family to daysail
and cruise. It is with knowledgeable, experienced sailors that the
Johnstones have done best.

The story begins in 1975. Rod, then an ad salesman for the sailing
trade magazine, Soundings, and an active one-design sailor decided to
build a sailboat he had been designing since completing a Westlawn
School of Yacht Design correspondence course in the 60s. With
$400-worth of fiberglass and wood, some rigging and hardware left over
from a Soling of Bob's, he built the 24' x 9' wide Ragtime on weekends
in his 3-car garage at his home in Stonington, Connecticut. During the
summer of 1976, with an all family crew aboard, Ragtime beat everything
in sight. Rod realized he had created something special.

Enter Everett Pearson, the owner of Tillotson Pearson, Inc, a highly
respected boat builder in Warren Rhode Island. He was quite taken with
Rod's design and agreed to produce the boat on spec in return for the
US building rights. Display ads in Soundings got the word out. That
winter they set up a makeshift factory in an old textile mill in nearby
Fall River, Massachusetts, and began popping out J/24s.

Enter the marketing
experience of brother Bob, a vice president of marketing at AMF/Alcort
(the makers of Sunfish sailboats at the time). He saw the potential in
the boat Rod had designed. From 1975 to 1977, Bob had helped to take
Alcort from the red into the black, and then began trying to convince
AMF to start producing a boat similar to the J/24. But, he says, in
spite of overwhelming market research results showing 50% purchase
intent in a boat like the J/24, AMF really didn't care anything about
gaining share of market or investing any more in sailing. So, in
February of 1977, at age 43, Bob left AMF and threw in his lot with
J/Boats.

With Rod contributing the design and his prototype Ragtime and Bob investing $20,000 to cover
start-up costs, office space, and advertising, their 50-50 partnership
was launched. Expecting to sell 250 J/24s that first year, they sold
750. Each successive year marks unique achievements in the sport and
industry.

The next generation of Johnstones has been at the helm since 1988, while founders
Rod and Bob continue to contribute in the areas of their strength,
design and marketing. Since 1992, Jeff (president) and Alan
(chief-designer) have managed company operations & sales from J/Boats
Headquarters in Newport, RI while a total of
four of Bob & Rod's sons (Jeff, Alan, Stu and Drake) serve
on J/Boats, Inc. Board of Directors.

2007 – A record year for J/Boat owners with major offshore
racing wins across the US and Europe. The introduction of the new J/122
built by J/Europe taking the IRC circuit in France, the UK, the
Netherlands and the USA by storm achieving several overall wins both
inshore and offshore. J/Boat owners are class and overall champions of
numerous offshore events including Ft. Lauderdale-Key West Race,
Pineapple Cup, Bayview Mac Race, Annapolis-Newport Race, Charleston
Bermuda Race, Transpac, Chicago Mac, and several RORC offshore races.
J/133 is awarded 'Best Series Produced Yacht' and J/122 wins IRC 1 class
overall for the entire season in the 2007 RORC series. J/80 production
races by the 1,000 hull milestone with over 1050 boats built. A record
120 J/80s sail at the World Championships in La Trinite France. The
J/105 Class sets attendance records on both US coasts culminating in a
69 boat fleet at the North American Champs in Annapolis. J/105 also wins
RORC 2-handed season trophy. J/109 class activity thrives in the US and
UK. Clay Burkhalter successfully sails his Rod Johnstone designed Mini
6.5 ‘Acadia’ across the Atlantic from France to Brazil finishing 12th
overall out of 89 entries. The J/80 debuts at the Asian Sportboat
Championship placing 1st and 2nd overall. J/Europe increases factory
capacity by 40% thanks to increasing demand worldwide for new J/Boats.
Several J/Owners actively engaged cruising their boats through the
oceans of the world. Congratulations to J/Owners for an incredible year!

2006 – The J/92S makes its USA debut. The J/100 reaches 100 boat milestone
and production begins in Europe. New 40’ J/122 development begins with
J/Europe. J/ owners win 12 trophies in the Centennial Newport to Bermuda
Race with the J/44 and J/42 classes the largest in the fleet. Glenn
Darden captures the J/80 World title in Galveston Bay, TX, while fellow
Texan Jon Halbert wins the inaugural J/109 North American Championships
at New York Yacht Club. J/109 and double-handed J/105 finish 1-2 in
Rolex Middle Sea Race. The York family completes a circumnavigation
aboard their J/46 Aragorn. The J/22 North Americans returns to Fleet #1
Lake Minnetonka, MN with Terry Flynn crowned champion. The J/80 reaches
900 boat milestone and new fleets are established in Spain and Italy. The
J/105 is awarded the Serendip Trophy for the Best Series-Produced Yacht
in IRC by RORC for 2006 and Shaun Murphy’s Slingshot is named RORC 2006
Yacht of the Year and wins the Somerset Memorial Trophy for outstanding
achievement of a 2-handed yacht. The J/122 is introduced and displayed
at the Paris Show to rave reviews with a December launch in Hamble, UK
and successful sea-trials.

2005 – The new J/65 launches in San Diego. Scotsman Ruairidh Scott wins the
Silva J/80 Worlds in Falmouth, UK. The J/105 class sets new milestones
with a 40 boat fleet at Key West and the first Canadian hosting of a
North American Championship. The J/100 rolls out of the factory at
nearly 2 boats per week to meet the high demand. The J/133 notches
impressive IRC class wins at Spi Ouest and Block Island Race Week. The
rapidly growing J/109 class sees one-design starts at Spi Ouest, Block
Island and Cowes Week. Anthony Kotoun of Newport, RI wins the J/24
Worlds in Weymouth, England and the J/24 North Americans in Marblehead,
MA. The new J/92S, a family-friendly sprit boat with large cockpit and
non-overlapping headsail launches in Europe. J/125 Rienrag takes class
honors again in the Transpac. Sally Barkow wins the Rolex Int’l Women’s
Keelboat Champs in J/22s in Annapolis, and the Women's Match Racing
Worlds in J/24s in Bermuda. Henry Morgan, sailing his J/42 Dolphin,
wins the Annapolis-Bermuda Race fleet. Short-handed J-sailors celebrate
as Pascal Loison wins the 2-Handed Rolex Fastnet Race in his J/105 and
Sam and Gordon Vineyard win Marion- to Bermuda Race in their J/46. The
new J/124, a 41’ follow-up sensation to the J/100, launches in Rhode
Island.

2004 – The J/133 Raincloud wins its debut regatta at Key West and
production begins in both the US and France. J109s sweep IRC 4 at Spi
Ouest, the UK J/109 Jeronimo is on the winning team of the Rolex
Commodore’s Cup, and the J/109 class gets underway with 11 fleets
formed, a class website and several class events held. Alec Cutler wins
the J/22 Worlds in Annapolis over a fleet of 130 boats, an all-time J
attendance record! Three Js (J/35, J/46 and J/160) set sail in the 2004
Blue Water World Rally. The new J/100 (33’) is launched in Newport to
rave reviews, is named Sailing World Magazine’s Overall Boat of the
Year, and quickly reaches a six month backlog. J/145s enjoy class wins
in the Newport to Bermuda and Port Huron-Mackinac races. Dave McConaughy
wins the 25th Anniversary J/30 North Americans in Barrington, RI. Glen
Darden of TX wins both the J/80 North Americans in Sag Harbor, NY and
the 52 boat J/105 North Americans in Marion, MA. Wow! Jens Hookanson
outduels Jeff Johnstone on the last leg of the final race to win the
J/24 Worlds in Noroton, CT. The new J/65 (65‘) is announced as J Boats’
entry into the luxury performance sailing market with a custom bay set
up at Pearson Composites and a highly anticipated 05 launching.

2003 – The J/24 class celebrates its Silver 25th Anniversary in Newport, while
the J/35 class has its 20th in Toronto with 27 boats racing for the
North American Championship. The J/105 class continues to set attendance
records and is the only class present at all nine NOOD Regattas. Dr Mike
Finn’s J/160 Kativa wins the Charleston to Bermuda Race; J/125 Rienrag
that takes line and class honors for Division 3 in the Tranpac. J/42
owners create a new owner association. J/Boats continue to thrive under
IRC with J/145 winning the Overall IRC Season Championship in UK (1–2 in
class at Fastnet), and the J/109 winning its class at Fastnet as well as
at Cowes and Spi Ouest. J/Europe is formed as new European builder
(France). Jay Lutz wins J/80 Worlds in Fort Worth Texas as class breaks
the hull #600 barrier. Sally Barkow wins the Rolex Women’s Keelboat
Champs in J/22s in Annapolis. J/133 is awarded the Overall Boat of the
Year award by Sailing World Magazine and Best Performance Cruiser by
Cruising World.

2002 – J/109 results roll in all year with wins at Spi-Ouest, Cowes Week,
Breskens Race Week, Double-handed Round Britain Race and the prestigious
Atlantic Trophy. J/109 plugs are shipped to the US and TPI begins
production. ISAF selects the J/22 (women’s keelboat division) and J/80
(men’s keelboat division) for the World Sailing Games in Marseilles.
J/105 explosion continues with 50 boats at the North Americans in
Chicago, hull #600 built, and selected for UBS Challenge Pro
Match-Racing. J/80 earns class start at Kiel Week and J/80 Worlds are
held in La Rochelle, France. The J/Fest Regatta Series goes national
with sponsors and five great events. Brad Read wins J/24 Worlds on its
return to Newport. J/109 and J/105 are 1st and 2nd overall in Rolex
Middle Sea Race. Terry Flynn wins 60-boat J/22 Worlds in Texas.

2001 – J/145 is selected as a Sail Magazine Top 10 winner and wins class at Key
West. J/80 class hosts its first World Championships in Newport. J Boats
introduces the 35’ J/109 in Europe. US Watercraft begins building J/22s,
helping to revitalize J/22 class growth. J/130 Bonkers is overall winner
in the Pineapple Cup race to Jamaica. J/160s win in Newport-Ensenada,
Puerto-Vallarta, Marblehead-Halifax and Swiftsure races. J/125 wins
overall at Middle Sea Race in Malta. The Rolex Int’l Women’s Keelboat
Champs is held in J22s in Annapolis, with Cory Sertl’s team crowned
champion.

2000 – J/46 earns double honors, first as a Sail Magazine Top 10
winner; and as a category winner in Sailing World Magazine's Boat of the
Year Awards. New carbon fiber J/145 (48') is launched. 92 boats attend
the J/22 Worlds in Holland. J/105 production accelerates with hull #400
launched and European production underway. US Watercraft becomes new US
builder for J/24 and the World Championship returns to Newport for its
22nd running. New 'L' version (L for liveaboard) is introduced
for the popular J/42.

1999 – J/35 inducted into the American Sailboat Hall of Fame ceremonies in
Atlantic City. J/125 wins Sportboat of the Year from Sailing
World. J/120 J BIRD clean sweeps the Puerta-Vallarta race with 1st to
finish, 1st in class and 1st overall- only the 3rd boat in history to do
so (other two were 70' sleds). J/46 performance-cruising yacht is
launched. J/22 featured in Santa-Maria Cup (women's match racing) and
for the ISAF Women's Match Racing Worlds. J/30 and J/35 classes combine
efforts to run their 20th and 15th North American Championships in
Annapolis. 25 J/105s sail one design at Block Island. Over 275 J/105s
now sailing in 15 fleets worldwide. The Rolex Int'l Women's Keelboat
Champs return to Newport in J/24s.

1998 – J/160 Pipedream wins Round-the-World Rally (American division) with a
crew of five. Owner Scott Piper departs on cruise around the world in
opposite direction! High tech built J/90 and J/125 usher in new wave of
technology – carbon composite construction with 50% ballast/displacement
ratios. J/90 wins "Sportboat of the Year" from Sailing World.
J/125 wins at Block Island Race Week and St. Francis Big Boat Series.
J/120s sweep top 3 spots in Newport to Ensenada Race. J/22 featured in
ISAF World Championship in Dubai for women's match-racing and fleet
disciplines. US Master's Championship held in J/105s in San Francisco.
J/80 becomes fastest growing one-design in Sweden with 20 boats sailing.
J/120 reaches hull #100, with 28 boats sailing in Southern California.

1997– One hundred J/24s attend the 20th anniversary J/24 Midwinters in Key West,
Florida. Johnstone Family receives The Industry
Leadership Award from SAIL Magazine. Harry Smith wins 1100nm Marina
Del Rey to Puerto-Vallarta Race on his J/160 'Bushwacker' and J/160 Hull
#3 Pipedream begins the 'Round the World Rally'. The Moorings Company
purchases a fleet of J/120s for an innovative 'race weeks'
charter program in Tortola.

1996 – The first two of six J/160s are launched in early May. These deluxe
flagships go on to win several offshore point-to-point races including a
course record from Annapolis to Bermuda! J/44 Class returns for the 1996
Bermuda Race in force with 11 starters. J/105 reaches critical mass for
class racing throughout the US with over 165 boats numerous regional
events and a successful North American Championship. The new production
J/32 Cruiser, designed by Alan Johnstone, is launched in July with over
20 sold in the first six months. J/Boats web site is expanded with a
growing on-line class association presence, owner forums and monthly
updates.

1995 – J/120 named Cruising World Magazine's Overall Boat of the Year and Best
Value in a Full-Size Cruiser. J/24 is first of five inductees into the
American Sailboat Hall of Fame. J/130 Starlight Express takes line
honors in Newport-Ensenada Race. New J/42 Cruiser is introduced. Hull #1 Gannet wins two New York Yacht Club events and Class A Downeast Racing
Circuit with a cruising asymmetric spinnaker and short-handed crew. J/35
class rebounds in participation with 35 entries at its North American
Championship. J/105s are featured on ESPN in the Brut Cup professional
match-racing circuit. J Composite of France begins European production
of the J/80 and J/92.

1994 – J/130 named Sailing World's Boat of the Year among Racer-Cruisers. J/22 and J/24 selected for inaugural IYRU World Sailing Championships, J/44
is first one-design class ever given start in Bermuda Race. J/120
introduced at SAIL EXPO with carbon mast and wins New England Solo-Twin.
J/110 introduced at Annapolis Boat Show.

1992 – J/105 becomes Sailing World's Boat-of-the-Year among racer-cruisers, and
ushers in the sport boat revolution. J/92 is introduced and destined for
the 1992 Readers Choice Award from Sailing World. J/24 #5000 and J/35
#300 are launched. Rod Johnstone is inducted into the Sailing World Hall
of Fame.

1991 – Nick Brown's J/44 IONA wins Fastnet in IMS. Fortune Magazine names J
Boats as one of the world's 100 best American made products. J/39s and
J/35s sweep top 4 positions in CHS at Cowes Week. J Boats pioneers
carbon-fiber retractable bowsprits and asymmetric spinnakers on offshore
boats, introducing the first of its new 'Sprit' series, the
J/105.

1978 – Twenty boats attend first J/24 one-design event at Key West, 68 boats attend
North Americans in Newport, and 1,000 boats are sold with builders set up in
UK, Brazil, Argentina, Australia and US West Coast where Trask family
joins Johnstones to build J/24s.

Markham Nolan reported on the La Trinity Sur Mer in the January 2009 Afloat Irish Sailing Annual, as follows:

Cork students take World Honours

A nail-biting week of controversy and excitement at La Trinite Sur Mer in November ended in relief for Cork Institute of Technology, who took Ireland’s second Student Yachting World Cup title in three years.

The crew, led by skipper and All-Ireland champion Nin O’Leary, showed skill both on and off the water to clinch victory in the very last race.

Thing started well, with the jitters of race one (8th place) shaken off by a win in race two. Race three saw a long lead sacrificed on the last leg of a coastal race when the Portugese slipped past for a win.

On day two, Ireland posted three finishes in the top four, but day three would bring some travails for the Cork squad.

Aiming for three results in the top three, the CIT team started well with a second, followed by a third. But with five boats deemed OCS at the start of the third race, the Irish saw their main rivals, the Italians, gifted a win.

A long night in the protest room ensued, when video evidence showed that the Irish could not have been over. A sheepish PRO admitted the error, and with redress and average points given, the Irish were in third overall. Another protest room venture, where the Irish came near to being disqualified for flying a spinnaker when instructed not to, was deemed a lucky escape.

A second in the night race, then, left CIT feeling like a win was a long shot going into the last race. “The bare minimum for us was that we had to win the race and the Italians had to be at least seventh,” said team coach Adam McCarthy.

The climax of the event came down to an all-or-nothing dogfight on the start line. O’Leary went after the Italians aggressively, sailing them away from the fleet and the favoured end.

“It’s funny because they didn’t really seem to be expecting us to go after them,” said McCarthy. “Maybe they thought we were going to sail on and hope for the best but either way they were crippled and left about 30 seconds late for the start.”

“It was a basic match-race for the final and Italy weren’t expecting that,” said George Kenifick, mainsail trimmer. “The helmsman couldn’t believe it and started shouting at his crew.” Rattled, the Italians could do no better than seventh, while O’Leary sailed a masterful day, carving the fleet up to win the final race, and the event, against all the odds.

The Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta website reported, on the 19th of January 2009:

The growth of the J109

The 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta (9th–12th July 2009) will see the second appearance of the up-and-coming J109 Class.

With ten boats now in Dublin Bay and a further five at least spread around the Irish coastline, the boat is proving to be the ideal boat of its size both for racing and if one has the time, for cruising.

With its fantastic upwind performance even in light airs, and the 1,183 sq.ft. Asymmetric providing fast off the wind sailing, as many pundits have said, “it ticks all the boxes”.

The Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta hopes to attract a one design fleet of 20+ J109s with many boats crossing the pond from the UK to join the Irish fleet.

The Squib was designed in 1967 by Oliver Lee as a successor to his Ajax 23. The protoytpe was built in cold moulded wood and sailed extensively over the winter of 1967-68. After successful proving trials she was used as a plug and the first GRP Squib was launched in June 1968. By the end of that year there were six Squibs racing on the Crouch and they had grown into a substantial fleet by 1969 with new fleets forming at Waldringfiled, Brixham, Abersoch and Aldeburgh. At the Yachting World Keelboat Rally held in 1969 the Squib was pronounced to be the most interesting entry. When numbers passed 300 in 1972 the Squib was granted national status.

While the UK fleets expanded, interest began to spread abroad. A couple of Squibs went to Tortola as day charter boats and a fleet grew there. Other groups grew in South Africa, Greece, Germany and Australia. Many of these boats were either club owned, operated on charter or used in sailing schools.

By 1974 sail numbers had approached the 400 mark despite growing economic gloom. That November an event called the Squib Symposium was dreamed up by Simon Fraser, and that country's leading yachting journalists came to Burnham-on-Crouch to race Squibs against one another. The resulting press comment further enhanced the Squib's reputation as did the Design Centre's decision to put the Squib on its index of selected designs.

The Class has now spread to all parts of the British Isles, where there are 27 active racing fleets, ten of which muster more than 20 boats. The most recent fleets to be formed were at Royal Ulster YC in 1998, East Antrim YC in 2000 and Kinsale YC in 2001. The Royal Ulster YC fleet now embrace Squibs from Ballyholme YC and the combined fleet is called the Bangor Fleet. Over 810 Squibs have been built and the National Squib Owners Association has over 640 members. A National Championship has been held at a different venue every year since 1972. In 2002 it was held at Royal North of Ireland YC with an entry of over 80 boats. A Match Racing Championship which was instituted in 1988 was held at Howth in 2000 but was not sailed in 2001. In 1995 Rutland SC instituted an Inland Championship which attracted 34 entries and proved so popular that it has been held every year since and in 2002 attracted 43 entries. Squibs race as a class in Aldeburgh Week, Medway Week, Menai Strait Fortnight, Oulton Week, Tay Week and racing with a PY of 115.

Until his death in 1993 Oliver Lee was the sole licenced builder of Squibs. The licence lapsed on his death and in 1994 it was granted to Barker Brewer Boats Ltd but they relinquished it in 1996 after having built 12 Squibs. In 1997 the licence was granted to parker Sailboats who built 40 squibs up to the end of 2001.

What is a Squib?

Just under 20 foot long, the Squib is a two person racing keelboat with 50% ballast ratio. That means it is big enough to race at sea and small enough to trail comfortably behind a family car. It also means that it needs only two of you to race and it is very safe in a blow. The Squib is sailed by all sorts and by all ages, primarily because it is, and feels, so solid and safe. You sit in a Squib, not on it – though we do hike out!

It is particularly suitable for mixed crews. About 10% of helms at the Nationals are female as are 25% of all participants in the Nationals. The 2007 National Champion crew is Penny Fenwick. Jenny Riley has been twice National Champion crew and recently won Oulton Week as a helm. There are very many married couples racing in the Squib Class.

The Squib seems to suit all ages as well. The youngest crew at the Nationals in 2007 was 13. The youngest helm we have seen was 12 (Holyhead 2004.) Prizes are awarded for first boat with crew combined age over 120. (To win this, the boat would have to be in the top third of the fleet.) The oldest Nationals competitor we are aware of was 85 at the time.

About 80–100 Squibs attend the National Championships which take place at a different venue each year (2008 Lowestoft, 2009 Weymouth, 2010 Dun Laoghaire.) 55 attend the Inland Championships which are held at Rutland and there are usually about 35 Squibs racing in Cowes Week.

There are many other championships – the Irish, Northern Irish, Scottish, North of England, East Coast, South Coast and the Welsh Championships. Squibs sail in many regattas around the country – Oulton Broad, Menai Straits, Aldeburgh, Bridlington, Abersoch, Dart and several others.

In March 2009, Graham Smith wrote the following review of the class for Afloat: "According to the stats, the Squib national fleet stands at 85 which represents an increase over the previous year so the appeal of the boat – affordable, easily trailed and easily sailed – is clearly catching. Indeed, the Irish fleet represents a fair percentage of the total fleet in the British Isles.

Interest has been growing over the years so that it’s no longer a Howth and Cultra monopoly, with burgeoning fleets in Killyleagh, Arklow and Glandore in West Cork.

That said, the northerners still tend to dominate proceedings on the race course and John Driscoll from RNIYC won the national title from a healthy fleet of 36 boats, sailed in Kinsale. National Champion 2009: John Driscoll, RNIYC

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use
as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion.
If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click
here

The Boat • Designed by David Thomas, well-known for cruiser/racer designs such as Sonata, Impala, Sigma 33 and 38, as well as the Hunter 707. • The original concept was to design a 35 footer to compete for acceptance at the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s 1978 Offshore One-design Conference, which was to select three one-designs to promote in substitution for the then-prevalent IOR system. The three chosen were the Impala, the 101 (designed by Jan Kjaerulff) and Jeremy Rodgers’ OOD 34. Sensing that the 33 foot 101 was too Scandinavian for British tastes, David Thomas decided to scale down to 33 feet. His intention was to design a moderate displacement yacht that would look racy and be competitive under IOR, but be tractable and easy to sail to near optimum speed. • Initially the class was named the Skua 33, but when a Scottish fleet advised that they were already called Skuas, the name was changed to Sigma 33. • Built by Marine Projects (Plymouth) Limited in Devon. (Tel: 01752 203888) • Total number built 364, starting in December 1978 with hull no. A3001 and ending in December 1991 with hull no. A3364 (in addition, approximately 44 Sigma 33Cs were built between November 1981 and April 1985, with hull numbers between A4001 and A4212. These have a shorter, masthead rig and a longer, shallower draft keel.) • Builder’s Dimensions: LOA 32’ 6” 9.88m; LWL 26’ 3” 8.00m; Beam 10’ 6” 3.20m; Draft 5’ 9” 1.75m; Displacement 9,200lbs 4,182kg • Construction is straightforward GRP with foam-cored floors and integral bulkheads. Early boats had off-white hull gel coats with either blue or cream decks; later ones had white hulls and decks plus aluminium window frames and go-faster stripes along the coachroof. The interior joinery was also altered. • Class sails are by Elstrom Sobstad , HYS, Port Hamble, Hamble, Southampton, Hampshire SO31 4NN. Tel: 023 8045 6205, fax: 023 8045 2465. The class has adopted relatively high-tech Genesis Platinum sails which incorporate kevlar fibres. • Price when new in 1979 was £16,790 plus VAT. By 1990 this had risen to £37,475 plus VAT.

Pictured left: Sigmatic powering their way to first place on the last race of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2009 (courtesy Sigma 33 East Coast Association website)

In March 2009, Afloat's Graham Smith reported on the Class: "There’s no change in the Sigma 33 class since last year. The fleet remains at 18 and they are all in Dun Laoghaire, while Tim Goodbody continues to dominate the class.

Apart from winning two of the three DBSC series during the season, he and his crew on White Mischief also won the ROYC Superleague, the East Coast Championships and then retained the National title. Just to break the monopoly, Paddy Maguire won the Colman O’Sullivan Trophy, Dermod Baker took the Fireseal Trophy and the Tuesday series was won by Pippa IV, helmed by A. Blake. National Champion 2009: Tim Goodbody, Royal Irish YC."

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here

The combination of family- cruiser and racing yacht is possible if not easy to achieve. Many small cruisers are more like floating caravans than yachts and do not always sail well. Accommodation below decks is deemed more important than sleek lines and sailing performance and therefore resulting hybrids are not always easy on the eye.Of course a sailing yacht should be beautiful and preferably as spacious as a small summer retreat as it is this appeal that makes for sales at boat shows and exhibitions. Racing in Dublin Bay now for many years there is such a boat, the Shipman 28 and with an overall length of 29ft in old money or 8.86 meters and a beam of 8 feet 6 inches or 2.6meters, is just about right for reasonably exciting one design class racing in 'the bay'. Many of the fleet also partake of summer cruising around the coast or even further afield to the UK or beyond, time permitting. With the class having their own Yearbook the annual racing and cruising exploits of the various members can be followed with interest along with other tit bits of generally interesting and useful information.Originally designed in Sweden by Olle Enderlein as a family cruiser racer for the Baltic Sea, his aim was to produce a yacht that would be sensitive on the helm to windward and easy to hold on course under hard conditions. In port she was to be practical down below with full headroom, five berths, one converting to a double, and a proper galley and comfortable dinette. A separate sea toilet compartment and normally 12hp diesel engine completes the essential fit-out. All this and more was achieved in his resulting design, the Shipman.In these recessionary times it can be difficult to justify the expenditure of scarce resources on purchasing expensive items such as yachts. How ever, at an average selling price in the region of €10 K to €16K depending on condition, not only will any new owner be joining a great racing class in Dublin Bay, there is also the prospect of summer cruises to the many marinas and harbors within a reasonable distance and the bank will not be broken.When first launched unto the market in 1970 one particular press cutting wrote 'it is easy to get enthusiastic about the the Shipman. To the yacht lover with a vision of what a yacht should be like it matches many dreams and has many of the qualities and finer points that boat lovers admire. For example well proportioned lines. Nice colors, fine sailing-qualities and comfortable accommodationShipman has all this and a little more. The woodwork creates a cosy atmosphere onboard and looks very nice and expensive too. And then to the best thing of all about the Shipman, the sailing qualities. We have never sailed a boat that is more stable on course. In short, this is a super boat.'The Commodore of the Shipman Class Association in DunLaoghaire is Mr. John Clarke , tel. 01 2895231 E- mail [email protected] and both he and other members of the Class are always available to offer advice and information to prospective Shipman owners or anyone wishing to learn more about the boat and the Association.

The Shannon One Design sailboat (known as a 'SOD' or 'Shannon') has a long and colourful history going back to 1920, when it was originally designed by Morgan Giles. Despite its charming looks, the Shannon One Design is a very exciting boat to sail and fleets of SODs have been racing on Loughs Ree and Derg in Ireland since 1922. The racing is very competitive, and the sailing season is filled each year with a wide variety of events. SODA is governed by a committee made up of Shannon One Design owners and sailors.

The Shannon One Design Association (SODA) is the Governing Body for the Shannon One Design Sailing Class. SODA is responsible for fixing the class rules and also for the enforcement of those rules.

History

The Shannon One Design (SOD) is an 18 foot boat unique to the lakes of Derg and Ree on the Shannon river in Ireland. On the 29th January 1920 a meeting of delegates from the Lough Derg, Lough Ree and North Shannon Yacht Clubs was held in the Prince of Wales Hotel in Athlone to set about the introduction of a one-design class racing boat on the Shannon. The SOD 'Design 102' by Morgan Giles was based on his Essex One Design both in profile and in sections.

The first Shannon One design trial boat was ordered in 1921 from Walter Levinge by L. Graham (Boy) Toler, and named 'Phyllis' later numbered SOD 43 and renamed 'Red Boat' in 1923. The new class should have commenced numbering at No 1, but this did not happen. Numbering of the following boats began at number 32.

The Shannon One Design began to race in earnest in 1922. New hull and sail specifications were adopted in 1989 to take into consideration emerging marine technologies. There is keen competition in the two major regattas at Lough Derg YC and Lough Ree YC in August. The Shannon One design boat register now exceeds No. 175.

Sailing Shannons has always attracted families, and generations in many cases have been involved in campaigning the same boat down through the years. Indeed many of the same family names that attended that first meeting in 1922 still feature in SOD racing today.

The Boats

The Shannon One Design is a wooden, clinker-built, eighteen-foot (5.49m) racing dinghy, propelled by a single gunter-rigged mainsail of 140 square feet (15.6 sq.m). The boat has a relatively narrow beam of 4 feet 10.5 inches (1.5m), and draws 4 feet (1.23m) with her centreboard down.

With a large sail and comparatively narrow beam, a Shannon One Design is a lively performer, especially in a fresh breeze, and requires a three-person crew for normal sailing.

There has long been a strong boat-building tradition on Loughs Derg and Ree, and almost all Shannon One Designs have come from the yards of skilled local craftsmen.

Shannon sailing attracts a wide range of sailors from far and wide, not simply limited to Shannon riverside dwellers. At the two main events each year, the week-long regattas at Ballyglass on Lough Ree and Dromineer on Lough Derg, up to 55 SODs have been counted. These will be sailed by a mixture of local sailors and others based in Dublin or elsewhere (as far away as the USA), most of whom return year on year to compete.

Above all, the Shannon One Design class is a lot of fun, in which conviviality, wit, character and friendship are on a par with the high quality of the racing. Individual boats seem to develop their own idiosyncrasies to complement the eccentricities of those privileged to sail them. There is a strong and growing presence of young people alongside the older sailors, and new boats are joining the fleet every season.

In March 2009, Graham Smith profiled the class for Afloat magazine as follows: "As one of the traditional clinker-built boats, you could be excused for thinking that the venerable SOD would be a static class on the numbers front, but you would be very wrong indeed. The number of clubs racing SODs remains at three but with 115 boats on the books, it ranks as a top five class.

That figure represents a 4% increase on the previous year, as new boats are built each year, although the increase is not reflected in numbers racing in the various regional championships during the summer when turn-outs were disappointingly low (the average in four events was around a dozen).

A feature of the year was the wide variety of venues, not restricted to the usual Lough Ree or Derg Yacht Clubs but with events in Kilgarvan, Cong, Mountshannon and Lanesborough, representing four different counties. It also saw four different winners, with Damian Maloney, Mark McCormick, John and Stephen O’Driscoll and Eoin Carroll winning the Easterns, Westerns, Southerns and Northerns respectively.
The Nationals saw a marked improvement in numbers with 26 boats competing at Lough Ree YC, where local hot-shot David Dickson added to his list of successes.
National Champion: David Dickson, Lough Ree YC

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If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click
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The Ruffian 23 is a 23 foot keelboat which was designed and built by brothers Dickie and Billy Brown of Portaferry, Co. Down, 35 years ago. The Ruffian 23 is a great one design racing boat, an extremely family-friendly boat, and despite its size, the Ruffian 23 has cruised waters around Ireland, the UK, and further afield. Approximately 200 Ruffians were built and many are still raced regularly in Dun Laoghaire, Wicklow, Skerries, Baltimore, Carrickfergus, Strangford Lough, around the Clyde, the Isle of Man, and even as far afield as Hong Kong and Uruguay.

An annual feature of the Irish Ruffian calendar is the North v. South Team Racing event which is held alternately in Carrickfergus and in Dun Laoghaire.

The Dun Laoghaire Ruffians also hold an annual inter-club team racing event with the most recent event being contested by the National Yacht Club, the Royal St. George Yacht Club, the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, and Wicklow Sailing Club. It was held on June 29th and the holders, the National Yacht Club, retained the title.

The Irish Ruffian 23 National Championships took place over the weekend June 12–14 2009, hosted by the Royal St. George Yacht Club. Over 16 boats competed in a 7-race series over the 3 days.

Regional events take place each year – the Northern Championships hosted by Carrickfergus Sailing Club, the South East Coast Regatta hosted by Wicklow Sailing Club, and the South Coast Championships hosted by Baltimore Sailing Club.

A good fleet of Ruffians competes in the annual Lambay race, and a Ruffian, Shannagh, was the proud winner of the Lambay Lady trophy in 2004.

The original Ruffian was a 33ft Ocean Racer designed and built by brothers Billy & Dickie Brown in 1969/70. Such was her success that the brothers set up Weatherly Yachts and went into production with a smaller 23ft model.

Graham Smith wrote, in Afloat's March 2009 issue: "2008 marked the 35th anniversary of the Ruffians and the class celebrated by taking to the water in locations as far afield as Wicklow, Carrickfergus, Strangford Lough, Baltimore, Schull, the Isle of Man, Uruguay and Hong Kong! The Dublin Bay fleet assembled in a cruise-in-company in Dalkey Sound for some revelry to mark the occasion.

In Ireland, there are 70 boats on the Ruffian books and while that figure is static, the fact that Schull has become a new venue is obviously a positive feature for the class enthusiasts. They will lose one enthusiast for next season though, with veteran Sean Murray retiring after 20 years of racing and extensively cruising his boat Icicle which will doubtless remain on the scene.

The highlight of the Ruffian competitive year is the National Championships and Derek Mitchell and the crew of Ruff Nuff from the Royal St George YC made it three wins in a row, finishing ahead of Robbie Keys from Skerries (who won the Traveller’s Trophy for his efforts) and 19 other boats. Next year, a team of 24 Ruffian sailors will travel to Hong Kong on St Patrick’s weekend for a team racing event against their Far East hosts. National Champion 2009: Derek Mitchell, Royal St George YC."

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use
as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion.
If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click
here

New to Ireland, the RS is the fastest growing dinghy fleet in the country. RS's are high performance asymmetric spinnakered dinghies. The 13ft RS200 and the larger 14ft 10in RS400 combine to provide high performance racing for all crew weights and abilities. Class members range from mid teens to mid fifties and compete together. Asymmetrical sailing provides a unique challenge to sailors who want to learn new skills, with tactical fleet racing downwind as well as upwind. The performance will attract the adrenalin junkies!

The RS Class in Ireland

The Irish RS Dinghy Class Association was formed in 2003 to promote the RS class in Ireland. The Association has adopted two dinghies, the RS200 and the RS400 to suit all crew combinations. Both are modern asymmetric spinnakered boats, providing an unparalleled blend of performance, ease of handling and tactical racing.

The RS fleet in Ireland is testiment to both of the dinghy's popularity. With an average growth rate of almost 10 boats per annum, the class is already the leading asymmetric class in the country and rivals most conventional classes in numbers.

The Irish RS National Championship now in its seventh year, forms part of a European circuit with events in the UK, France, Holland, and Italy. The Eurocup event not only attracts International standard racing to local waters but provides an easy avenue for Irish sailors keen to compete abroad.

The Irish RS Association

The Irish RS Dinghy Class Association was set up in 2003 to promote the RS Class in Ireland.

In just a short period of time, the RS class has become the largest asymmetric class in Ireland, with over 40 RS dinghies regularly sailing today. Interest in the class continues to grow as racing asymmetrics dinghies attracts sailors from traditional classes looking for the added tactical challenges and new skills that asymmetrics provide.

The Irish National Championships held annually, form part of the RS European Circuit, drawing competition of the highest calibre from abroad to race in Ireland. For the Irish sailor, this not only brings international racing to home waters, but also presents a ready made international circuit for those who want to race further afield.

Adopting both the RS200 and RS400 dinghies means that sailors of all ages, sizes and abilities are catered for. The RS class currently has sailors ranging from mid teens to mid fifties, both male and female competing against each other.

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use
as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion.
If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click
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RS Feva DinghyThe RS Feva/XL is a solid and roomy two-person dinghy constructed in polyethylene. The dinghy can be rigged with a gennaker and is an exiting and safe introduction to gennaker-sailing. The hull material is less fragile and does not require as much maintenance as fibreglass. Encapsulated buoyancy in the foam layer makes the RS Feva unsinkable. The mast is divided into two parts and can be stored along with boom in the length of the boat for easy transport.

A Big cockpit and high boom make the Feva really comfortable for youngsters and adults. The Feva is the perfect size and has rig options that allow easy handling by one sailor, family crews or friends. Her high volume hull makes light work of heavy sailors. Not only confidence inspiring and very easy to sail, the Feva is also the fastest of her type. A strict one design means no hidden costs, evenly matched performance and highly tactical racing.

In March 2005 the RYA annouced that the RS Feva was to become becomes a recognised junior class. The RS Feva has been recognised due to the boats popularity and the need to engage sailors through a modern dinghy. The class runs a comprehensive training programme and is highly attractive to young children.

Because it is handy on ground and joyful on the waves, the RS Feva is a first rate choice for clubs. RS Feva is also the dinghy for those parents who want to go sailing with their child.

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use
as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion.
If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click
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In Afloat's March 2009 issue, Graham Smith wrote the following: "Essentially an indigenous racer, the Puppeteer has records of 53 boats being built over the years, with 31 of them based in Howth where they regularly get 20 out for club races. It has tried in recent years to make it a strict one-design, but with northern boats racing under IRC, there are considerable differences between the boats so travelling north isn’t worth it! Click here for all the latest Puppeteer news and updates.

The Nationals, therefore, are held in Howth and 2008 saw 19 boats contest the event. The names usually found at the head of the fleet – Clarke, Stanley, May – were the pre-race favourites as usual and it was Garrett May and his crew who made the most of the circumstances to emerge as overall winners. National Champion 2009: Garrett May, Howth YC."

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here

The Dart 16 and Dart 18 performance catamarans are raced in Irish Clubs by crews of all ages and are also ideal for fun 'off the beach' sailing. The Dart 16, with its furling jib and quickly reefed mainsail, is perfect for safe fun sailing.

Hobie have something to suit everyone, from youth to Adults, beginners to high performance racing – a double-handed and single-handed class for the more adventurous. Racing is available at home and there's a strong International circuit in Europe. Cruising, the class have been known to make the occasional coastal voyage from Cork to Glandore and Cong to Galway. Cruising around Belfast Lough

In the mid-80s there was a growing fleet of Cruiser-Racers between 22ft and 35ft. These catamarans and trimarans raced at Multihull events with the smaller racing catamarans, usually racing on a longer offshore course.

Some were damaged in Hurricane Charlie and the fleet dispersed in the late eighties. There are quite a few of the larger catamarans and trimarans in clubs around the Country.

We would like to establish contact with the owners of these Multihulls with a view to keeping a database of these boats and hopefully, organising some events, maybe in conjunction with one of the events on the Catamaran Racing Calendar. This could take the format of a Rally, perhaps with some handicap racing.

If you have a Cruising or Racing Multihull over twenty feet in length, based in Ireland, please email us at [email protected] or telephone 353 1 4565060.

If you have stories and photos of your cruises and trips around Ireland or abroad, we will print them on this page.

We hope for a good response and we will keep our website page updated.

(Above information courtesy of the Irish Multihull Association)

Graham Smith wrote, in Afloat's March 2009 issue: "There are 43 multihulls – comprising various catamaran types – racing actively in Ireland in six locations, statistics which confirm that there has been a small increase over the past year and underlining the ongoing passion which the multihullers have for their particular branch of the sport.

Almost half of them made it on average to the five regional events held during the season, which saw four different winners. Andrew Gallagher of Royal Cork ended up as National Champion in a 25-strong fleet on his home territory, having also won the Easterns on Dublin Bay with crew Jimmy Nyhan.

Clubmate Rob Doyle won the Southerns (also at RCYC) and Blessington’s Simon Kearns took the Western title, but 2008 was otherwise the year of the Ballyholme pairing of Adrian and Mike Allen. Together they won the Northerns and Inlands but also had the distinction of topping the leaderboard at the Brightlingsea Open British Hurricane 5.9 event. National Champion: Andrew Gallagher and Jimmy Nyhan, Royal Cork YC"

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use
as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion.
If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click
here